Monday is the offical start of the province’s largest immunization plan on record.
On Vancouver Island, 19 community clinics will be taking part in the process.
The clinics will be located all over the Island and will range in size from 10 to 20 immunization stations, depending on the location.
Island Health says these locations were chosen due to their ease of access, accessibility for individuals with mobility challenges, and availability of functional clinic space to support appropriate physical distancing.
Starting Monday, March 8th, the registration process will open for islanders who fit into the first age-based population cohort looking to grab a dose of the vaccine; those aged 90 and older, and Indigenous peoples over the age of 65.
Those individuals can call in and get their appointment set up for next week starting on March 15th.
Then the following week (March 15th), Island Health will focus on the next age cohort which will include those 85 and older and then the 80 and older population. The plan is to have all of these populations vaccinated by April 12th.
Island Health Vice President for Pandemic Planning, Victoria Schmid says they are expecting to get more than 40,000 eligible islanders immunized over the next month and says this group might be the most challenging.
“We have a lot of vaccines to get out the door in that period,” she says “I would say this is going to be the toughest population in terms of recognition that there are lots of mobility issues, fragility issues and it’s a hard population to reach. Although some are incredibly tech savvy not all are, and we’re going to need lots of supports in place for this population.”
When you or a loved one calls in to book an appointment, Island Health will tell you which community clinic you will be going to and when.
The full list of community clinics on the island can be found below.
North Island:
- Port Alice Health Unit, 1090 Marine Drive
- Port Hardy Health Unit, 7070 Market St
- Port McNeill Health Unit, 1775 Grenville Pl
- Campbell River Community Centre, 401 11th Avenue
- Comox Valley Hospital – Ambulance Bay, 101 Lerwick Road
- Comox Valley Health Unit, 961 England Avenue
Mid-Island:
- Cowichan Community Centre Gym, 2687 James Street
- Ladysmith Urgent Care Centre, 1111 4th Avenue
- Cedar Community Centre, 2388 Cedar Road
- Beban Park, 2300 Bowen Road, Nanaimo
- Alberni Athletic Hall, 3727 Roger Street,
- Parksville Community Centre, 132 Jensen Ave E
- Tofino Public Health Unit, 265 First Street
South Island:
- Uvic McKinnon Gym, 11 Gabriola Road
- Salt Spring Island Health Centre, 160 Fulford-Ganges Road
- Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Ave
- SEAPARC Leisure Complex, 2168 Phillips Road
- Eagle Ridge Arena, 1089 Langford Parkway
- Archie Browning Sports Centre, 1151 Esquimalt Road
To register for an appointment, call 1-833-348-4787 between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm daily starting March 15th.
More information can be found on Island Healths website.
